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Sangheili
Sangheili ar dinosaur-like aliens from the planet Sangheilios. They're the rivals of the Jiralhanae and the San 'Shyuum The Sangheili3 (Latin Macto cognatus,4 meaning "I glorify my kin") are a saurian5 species of fierce, proud, strong, agile and intelligent warriors and skilled combat tacticians. Sangheili are named after their home planet, Sanghelios. Known to Humans as Elites,6 due to their adeptness and skill in combat, the Sangheili formed the military backbone of the Covenant for almost the entirety of its existence. They had a very strong rivalry with the Brutes, which finally became open hatred during the Great Schism, and the conclusion of the Human-Covenant war.Originally a founding member of the unified conglomerate of races known as the Covenant, they later led the Covenant breakaway faction known as the Covenant Separatists, who sided with the humans against their former allies, due to the fact that the Prophet of Truth and the Prophet of Mercy had ordered the genocide of the entire Sangheili race. This was established after the assassination of the Prophet of Regret at the hands of the "Demon". It was the Sangheili who were ultimately held responsible for the Prophet of Regret's death, and were seen as "unfit" to continue to guard the Prophets. The Prophets sought to achieve this through use of the other Covenant races, primarily the Brutes. The aftermath of the Great Schism formed the bedrock of the Covenant's ultimate collapse. History Development of Civilization and Covenant The Sangheili home world, Sanghelios, had at one point been visited by or had been in contact with the mysterious Forerunners. They revered the objects these "gods" had left, and considered tampering with them a heresy beyond any other. In 938 B.C.E. they encountered the San 'Shyuum (who would later be known as "Prophets" by Humans), a race that also worshiped the Forerunners as Gods, but had utilized Forerunner technology for their own needs, believing that the technology had been left behind by the Gods as gifts for their children. This sparked a war between the two races over how to treat the relics. Even though the Sangheili were much more physically imposing and numerous, they suffered extreme casualties under the sheer power of the Prophets' Dreadnought, a surviving Keyship, and by 876 B.C.E. even the most devout had to admit their survival depended on the reconstitution of their own Forerunner technology. This, of course, led both sides to an agreement that ended with the decommissioning of the Forerunner Dreadnought and a shaky alliance that eventually expanded into the Covenant.The Prophets helped assuage the Sangheili by informing them of the Great Journey: By seeking out the Holy Rings scattered throughout the galaxy and utilizing them, a Great Journey would begin. This Great Journey would transform believers into godlike beings, while providing salvation for their doomed existence of fighting with the Flood. The Sangheili then became the bodyguards of the physically less imposing Prophets, who would search the galaxy for the Halos.7 The Writ of Union was drawn up in 852 B.C.E. in order to codify the Covenant. Its first canto clearly outlines the nature of the Covenant from the perspective of the Prophets. Being one of the few races in the Covenant to achieve space-faring status without outside intervention, the Sangheili interaction with the San 'Shyuum was initially strained due to memories of the recent war. However, the two sides later formed a prosperous relationship, eventually laying the foundation for the modern Covenant hegemony. During their membership in the Covenant, the Sangheili were technological and societal equals of the San 'Shyuum. However, for a significant period, they found themselves as the dominant military muscle for the entire Covenant structure - hardly surprising given the warlike, feudal nature of their homeworld, Sanghelios. What was surprising was the cyclical stability this feudal society was able to offer. Technological and medical advancement prospered, and the intelligent, aggressive Sangheili were peerless until they encountered the San 'Shyuum. With exchange of goods and ideas, the Sangheili adapted to and eventually embraced the Covenant religion, grafting its tenets into their own belief system. Human -Covenant War When the Prophets declared war on a previously unknown species called "Humans", the Sangheili followed their lead without question. After a period of time, however, even though the Prophets insisted that the Humans were "unclean beings" that must be eliminated from the galaxy, some seasoned Sangheili veterans began to question the refusal of the Prophets to even consider accepting the Humans into the Covenant.18 These Sangheili seemed to believe that Humans, although physically weak, at least compared to themselves, were brave and even honorable. Some even believed that the Humans were equal to them - a considerable step for a Sangheili, or any member of the Covenant to make. These few Sangheili admired how willing and brave the Humans were when fighting to survive against outright extinction, they even respected to a certain degree those few soldiers who were willing to stay behind and cover their comrades from a Covenant attack. A few Sangheili even had some degree of disrespect for the Prophets before the Great Schism. The Great Schism During the final months of the Human-Covenant War, the political shift caused by both the Prophet of Truth and Tartarus, the Chieftain of the Jiralhanae, started a slippery slope that ended in the dissolution of the Covenant between the Sangheili and the San 'Shyuum. Originally, the Jiralhanae were viewed as savagely aggressive and extremely goal-oriented, which the Sangheili viewed as a serious threat should the Brutes ever begin to desire political power. This fear became reality when the Honor Guards of the Prophets, originally an all-Sangheili class, was transformed into a duty of the Brutes. This was directly caused by the death of the Prophet of Regret at the hands of John-117, the Human "Demon" known as the Master Chief, despite Regret's protection from his personal squad of Sangheili Honor Guardsman. Soon the Brutes found themselves in new positions of power, such as Field Masters, Ship Masters, and veritable replacements for the Sangheili. At the same time, during the Battle of Installation 05, Arbiter Thel 'Vadam and Rtas 'Vadumee (both of which soon dropped the 'ee' suffix from their name to signify their abandonment of the Covenant) discovered the truth of the Halo rings from the Monitor 343 Guilty Spark and the deceit of the San 'Shyuum.These events led the entire Sangheili species to secede from the Covenant, forming the Covenant Separatists. They were aided by a few of the member-races within the Covenant, such as many Unggoy and most Mgalekgolo, even though many apparently ended up siding with the Covenant Loyalists despite the Sangheili's efforts. The secession included a movement to destroy the treacherous Brutes and Prophets, and the destruction of the Flood at all costs, eventually resulting in the Sangheili's alliance with the Humans, persuaded by the Arbiter's counsel. It is known that this civil war stretched from the Human homeworld, Earth, all the way back to Sanghelios as the Sangheili attempted to wrest their share of the hegemony away from their new-found enemies. The Jiralhanae stepped in to fill the military void in ever increasing numbers, sensing the vacuum and opportunity left by the departure of the Sangheili. Fall of the Covenant Empire Finally, after the Battle of Earth, the Sangheili and Humans managed to stop and kill the Prophet of Truth, effectively dissolving the Covenant. However, the Sangheili and Humans were coerced to deal with a more massive threat; the Flood. Finally, the Arbiter and the Master Chief, after activating the newly constructed replacement Halo ring, effectively ended the Flood threat forever.After the Human-Covenant War ended, there has been speculation of competition between the UNSC and the Sangheili, when it came to examining Forerunner ruins and relics like the Artifact.9 However, by March 2553, the Sangheili and Humans remain friendly to one another as evidenced by the conversation between Thel 'Vadam and Lord Terrence Hood. All the Sangheili who fought in the Battle of Installation 00 agreed to depart Earth and return to their home planet, Sanghelios, to ensure its safety. As the Great Schism went on, the Sangheili continued their fight against the Jiralhanae. This was proving largely unsuccessful and the Sangheili were accepting serious losses. Without the Covenant to provide them with ships, technology, and repairs, they slowly lost warships and technologies they couldn't repair or replace. After the San 'Shyuum went into hiding, the Sangheili began to prevail against the Jiralhanae, who in turn began to fight amongst themselves. Despite the hatred for Jiralhane the Sangheili employed Jiralhane who stayed at the Sangheili's side. Having abandoned the Covenant, the Sangheili were now in a state of mass confusion in regards to their religion, because even though the San 'Shyuum lied to them, they had still given them purpose for their actions. The Sangheili were still religiously devoted to the Forerunners and were attempting to uncover the meaning. Description Sangheili are generally between 2.2 meters tall and 2.6 metres tall1 including helmet and armor, have two fingers and two thumbs on each hand which are much larger than human fingers and thumbs, which make the Sangheili look ungainly when wielding small human weapons such as the pistol. They look vaguely like lizards or theropods, except for their jaws. When wearing armor, they take on a shark-like look because of the "fins" on the sides of their helmets. Their jaws are made up of four separate mandibles attached to their face, similair to those found on the lower jaws of snakes from Earth. The Sangheili are attributed for great strength and intelligence, and are praised for their bravery and honor. Sangheili warriors augment these natural abilities further through use of Energy Shields integrated into their armor. Depending upon rank and mission objective, they are commonly seen in battle with Plasma Rifles, Needlers, Covenant Carbines, Needle Rifles and sometimes, if they are higher ranked, Energy Swords. Sangheili employ coffin-like Orbital Insertion Pods as well as Phantom and Spirit Dropships for military transit purposes and rapid-response operations. Historically, Sangheili have followed the Covenant mentality of maintaining hatred towards Humanity, believing them to be an affront to their religion and a challenge towards the Great Journey. However there are signs that this stance is being slowly abandoned as seen in the tentative alliance between the two enemies, forming the core allied faction at the end of Halo 2 and during Halo 3.In Halo: Combat Evolved, upper ranks have a Forerunner symbol adorning their back. It is not known if the symbol varies from rank to rank. In Halo 3, Sangheili have Forerunner symbols on their arms and on the sides of their torso. Anatomy and Physiology Sangheili are muscular and stand around between 2.2 meters tall and 2.6 metres tall.1 Their jaws are quadruple-hinged, with an upper jaw and four mandible-like lips. With few exceptions, these mandibles are generally shown with six teeth each; many sources also depict an additional large fang on the tips of each mandible.1011 Anywhere from eight to ten broader teeth have been observed mounted on the central jaw structure. In Halo Wars and Halo: Reach, the Sangheili are depicted with more numerous, more feral-looking teeth. In the Halo Legends short The Duel, the Sangheili Han, Fal 'Chavamee, and Roe, keep their mandibles closed, using only the front two joints of their lower mandibles to speak, giving them a more humanoid appearance. While it may not actually be canon to the Halo franchise, it is possible that the Sangheili don't usually use all four of their mandibles, except when breathing heavily; an example would be during combat situations, though this has yet to be confirmed. Sangheili smell with the use of two nostrils, each a little in front and below the eye socket. Given their predatory nature, a Sangheili's sense of smell is likely very developed. However it must be noted that as a distinct race they may have omnivourus tendencies. The mandibles appear to be made for gripping small prey, which insinuates that the Sangheili evolved from a quadroped race and that they are much larger than their natural prey. Their hands are tetradactyl, having four digits; two middle fingers, and two opposing thumbs on the outside for grasping. Their legs are digitigrade, with short upper and lower legs, and elongated tarsals, using the distal and intermediate phalanges to support their weight when walking. This arrangement possibly allows them to run very quickly and jump large distances, compared to ordinary humans and other Covenant races.12 Their superior agility may also be attributed to their homeworld's higher gravity; the additional strength required to move normally in a high-gravity environment would likely cause them to be more powerful in lower gravity situations. They also appear to have a double set of pectoral muscles, which contribute to their incredible strength.Sangheili have at least two hearts,13 which circulate indigo-colored blood through their veins; the coloration is most likely caused by bimetallic hemoglobin, possibly cobalt-iron, whereas the crimson-blooded Humans possess monometallic iron-based hemoglobin. Though there are many theories on the subject, the chemical formula(e) of Sangheili hemoglobin is still unknown. It is assumed that they breathe oxygen, as they can breathe the same atmosphere as Humans without any trouble, and their homeworld has a nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere, similar to Earth's. Male Sangheili have grayish-brown skin (which in Halo 2 looks spotted or scaly), and the majority of Sangheili have either dark blue, black, or brown eyes, although there are a few exceptions. It has been theorized that the reason Sangheili seem to have dark, blue eyes is because they wear eye coverings (which provide their in-game HUD). This hypothesis comes largely from the Arbiter's appearance - when standing before the High Council in his armor, his eyes were dark, but after his armor was removed, his eyes became a much lighter brown—and is also supported by the fact that in Halo: Combat Evolved, a Sangheili's eye color is always the same color as their armor. Sangheili have laterally-positioned eyes with slit-shaped pupils, large irises, and horizontal eyelids, though these traits can only be seen in Halo 3 - Sangheili in Halo 2 have all black eyes with no pupils except for the Arbiter, and in Halo: Combat Evolved they never blink. However,this is probably result of animation. In Halo: Contact Harvest, it is mentioned that the Sangheili are strange for bipedal species in that their knees do not bend backwards but forwards.needed This unusual hinging does not impair their mobility on ground but climbing, especially on standard ladders, is difficult for them. Intelligence "Although Elites are naturally very intelligent, their culture's long dependence on a military-industrial schema has led to an emphasis on might over science. In some regards, the advent of the Covenant made this position easier-allowing the Elites to concentrate even more singularly on military endeavors, while Prophets took care of science and technology."— 343 Guilty Spark in the Bestiarum The Sangheili are intelligent and can demonstrate this in battle. Sangheili are normally on the move when fighting, constantly running and ducking, strafing and dodging when firing at the enemy. It should be noted that not all Sangheili make use of cover because of their superior strengthneeded; these are the Sangheili who hold the ranks of either Zealot or Councilor. The Sangheili seem to employ complex strategy only if it either improves success in battle, or it allows them to inflict more casualties on their enemiesneeded. In ship-to-ship combat, despite having the advantage of long range weapons such as plasma torpedoes, the Sangheili prefer to maneuver in close in an attempt to board their opponent's vessel. These Sangheili charge their enemies with reckless aggression, regardless of any damage they sustain; only very seldom do they admit temporary defeat. They are quite capable of luring their enemies into traps by falling back into cover; as the enemy approaches, a Sangheili will spring from its position and land a massive melee hit on the unsuspecting opponent, and is especially even more dangerous if the hiding Sangheili is carrying an Energy Sword due to the weapon's lethal melee power.The Sangheili are competent tacticians, known for their ferocity and decisive thinking. This is shown to be true in space during ship-to-ship combat, even when horribly outnumbered; they can win the fight with only few losses. An example of this is the Battle above Installation 00, when Truth's Fleet outnumbered Sangheili forces three-to-one, yet the Sangheili prevailed with at least the Assault Carrier Shadow of Intent. However it should be noted that the Sangheili received and possessed ship technologies from the Prophet's study of Forerunner technology, perhaps a century or several centuries more advanced than that of Humanity. Examples include advanced reactor technologies with power outputs several orders of magnitude greater than Human reactor technologies1415, powerful shields capable of withstanding up to 3 MAC impacts, highly effective point defence laser turrets capable of fending off sizeable barrages of Archer Missiles and nuclear ordinance, and super-accurate Plasma Torpedoes and Energy projectors. Due to the lack of shielding on Human vessels, these plasma weapons were capable of outright destroying or disabling most Humans vessels in a single hit. The performance of their sub-light engines also far outstripped the manoeuvring capabilities of Human vessels.16 Due to the vast technology gap, the tactical and strategic intellect of the Sangheili with respect to Humans cannot be ascertained. There were incidences, however, of smaller Human fleets obliterating much larger Sangheili fleets such as Admiral Patterson's victory over Voro Nar 'Mantakree's initial fleet over Onyx. This, combined with Admiral Preston J. Cole's repeated victories over Sangheili fleets throughout his career with numbers to offset the Covenant's massive technological advantage, as well as the fashion in which the Sangheili lost over two thirds of their entire invasion fleet over Reach to nothing more than ablative tactics, gives reason to cast doubt on the Sangheili's actual mastery of naval warfare and calls into question issues of reliance on advanced technology. Indeed, this also appears to happen between the Sangheili and the Jiralhanae. Although the two possess similar ships, the Sangheili possess slightly more sophisticated technology which gave them an edge over their Jiralhanae counter parts, such as the Counter Guidance Signal technology used to disrupt the guidance of plasma torpedoes. The Jiralhanae's grasp of this technology in comparison to the Sangheili's was poor.17 As much as Sangheili are, for the most part, competent when it comes to combat tactics and battle plans, their code of honor does get in the way of it as they have shown a preference for close combat with their foes, and the majority of their weaponry is suited for short-ranged fighting. The Energy Sword, the most prized weapon of the Sangheili, is the strongest example of this. Swords are often carried and used as primary weapons on the battlefield by Sangheili Zealots and other superior officers, and although devastating in hand-to-hand combat, are useless at long range. The Sangheili practices of commanders leading from the front and distinguishing leaders through colored armor has resulted in a very high attrition rate for Sangheili commanders. In many battles, Zealots have been killed early in the fighting (such as Noga 'Putumee), leaving their forces leaderless and uncoordinated. UNSC snipers have been specifically trained to pick out and eliminate high-ranking Sangheili. The Sangheili tradition of promotion through feats of arms on the battlefield has sometimes placed individuals of questionable tactical and strategic skill, such as Ripa 'Moramee, into high-ranking positions, purely because of their ability to kill their enemies personally. However, it should be noted that this isn't common and certain Sangheili such as Thel 'Vadam and Rtas 'Vadum are brilliant tacticians. What the Sangheili consider to be dishonorable has also limited their flexibility in battle. Being wounded is considered a dishonor by the Sangheili, and it has been seen that most Sangheili go berserk upon having their blood spilled and charge straight at their enemies for revenge. Others, such as Jora 'Konaree, have chosen to kill themselves after being seriously wounded in battle. The preference of most Sangheili to die rather than live wounded has resulted in unnecessary casualties. Retreat is viewed as an even greater dishonor, and many Sangheili have doomed themselves to be killed rather than retreat. The UNSC and Jiralhanae has very frequently attempted to take advantage of the Sangheili concept of honor to lure them into traps. Examples of this include Battle of Delta Halo where Tartarus killed many Elites with the Fist of Rukt, Operation: FIRST STRIKE, Kurt's final actions in the Battle of Onyx, the Battle of Alpha Base, and Cole's Last Stand at Psi Serpentis. After the fall of the Covenant, the Sangheili's religious, superstitious, and political views have somewhat changed and have led to the realization that many of these beliefs are unnecessary and zealous rather then honorable. Although it was not favored, the Sangheili began taking after Human customs such as understanding blindly charging is in no way beneficial compared to finding a tactful solution, taking away the advantage enemies like the UNSC and Jiralhanae have attempted to use against them. This is something that is becoming more and more beneficial to the Sangheili, both culturally and militarily. Culture The Sangheili consider most other species to be inferior to them, both culturally and in fighting skill. Although Sangheili are naturally very intelligent, their culture's long dependence on a military-industrial scheme has led to an emphasis on might over science. In some regards, the advent of the Covenant made this position easier-allowing the Sangheili to concentrate even more mono-manically on military endeavors, while Prophets took care of science and technology. Despite this, their adeptness at using and creating technology is evident. It is probable that they designed the Covenant Cruiser themselves. They demonstrated their superiority at space combat in the battle with the Brutes over Installation 00.Promotion in the Covenant military is by merit; a Covenant soldier must succeed to advance among the ranks. Success is often measured in scalps. A Zealot, for example, has personally slaughtered thousands of individuals to reach that status.18 Raised from childhood to be warriors, other societal roles are treated as secondary endeavors or even hobbies, and are not honored at all. Elites are skilled in the usage of most Covenant weapons. One interesting example of this martial focus is that only aristocrats are allowed to wield swords and that sword-wielders are then no longer eligible for marriage; however, they may breed with any female they choose, married or otherwise, to ensure successful transmission of "swordsman" genes. In many ways, the Sangheili are much like humans. They communicate, are loyal to their superiors and comrades, become protective of their troops and become angry and vengeful if other Sangheili are killed. They fear very little, taking great pride in an ancient, honor-laden code. Even when mortally wounded, the Sangheili still charge towards the enemy in a doomed last minute attack. Sangheili honor also dictates that they always be the first ones into a battle, and to never allow themselves to be captured alive.needed The more honorable captured Sangheili typically commit suicide while in prison to retain some measure of honor; often times when they are freed those who have not are executed anyway, as was the case with one of Thel Vadam's ancestors. However, escaping or staging an uprising is acceptable, by the same example.19 Respect and Honor The Sangheili display respect and admiration for honorable fighters, whether they are allies of the Sangheili or not. It is not unusual for the Sangheili to have such an admiration for their adversaries. Sangheili respect and revere veterans and often follow their lead. Their history is rife with victorious combatants welcoming the defeated enemies' remaining forces into their own arm, provided of course that they fought with honor. During the Unggoy Rebellion, the most tenacious of the Unggoy who survived the conflict were admitted for the first time into previously all-Sangheili forces, much to the Prophets' discontent.20 It is likely that survivors of this group of Unggoy were among the Unggoy supporting the Sangheili during the Great Schism, out of respect, and dislike of the Covenant.The Sangheili code of honor appears quite similar to Japanese Bushido, sharing concepts such as skill in combat (with an emphasis on swordsmanship), loyalty to master and family/clan, and views on death. Both systems promote death in battle as being the most honorable and proper way to die. If a warrior is critically injured, incapacitated, or captured, the only acceptable recourse is to commit ritualistic suicide, ensuring one's honor is kept intact. This was of such importance to Sangheili warriors that even if they were incapable of killing themselves, they requested the assistance of their fellow Sangheili in doing so.21 Trivia *The dialogue spoken by the Sangheili of Halo: Combat Evolved was made by reversing and slowing sound clips of Sergeant Johnson. "Wort! Wort! Wort!" is the reversed phrase, "Go! Go! Go!". With the IWHBYDSkull turned on in Halo 3, they will occasionally say their trademark, "Wort! Wort! Wort!".[citation needed] *Jason Jones at first wanted the Sangheili to have tails, but Shi Kai Wang talked him out of it by arguing that the Sangheili would look too animalistic, as opposed to being an intelligent race. An additional point was that when the Sangheili sit, the only place their tails could go was folded between their legs, creating a seriously awkward appearance.[32] *Sangheili culture is comparable to that of the ancient Spartans of Humanity's past. Rank is achieved by success, and much of their lives revolve around war. *The Sangheili culture also seems to be based of off the Yautja alien species from the film series [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Predator_(movie) Predator]. Anatomically the two share similarities as well, such as the split mouth, head shape (somewhat (Elongated skull, split mandibles, no (visible) nose, etc.)), strength and reptilian appearance. Both species also have a very defined sense of honor and respect to their enemies as well. Also, they both use energy based weaponry, pretruding blades on their wrists, a combat harness, and an optical camouflage system. *Sangheili have 46 teeth.[33] *It is mentioned in Ghosts of Onyx that Sangheili would rather die with their weapons out of energy than pick up fully loaded human weapons, yet they show no shame when they obtain them in Halo 3 and Halo 2. They will sometimes even thank the player when handed powerful human weapons, such as the Rocket Launcher. This is likely because they are Covenant Separatists, and no longer view humans as Heretics, nor their weapons 'unclean'. *In Halo: Reach, if the player chooses to play as the Elites in Firefight and has higher-ranking armor than the other Elites around him/her, they will talk to the player. They will sometimes also follow the player, this has also been seen with other species such as Skirmishers, Grunts, and Sometimes Jackals. *Although the player is not able to dual wield, Elites are occasionally seen dual wielding Plasma rifles in Halo: Reach, the most common Sangheili to duel wield is the Sangheili Ultra. *The Sangheili has many head characteristics of the Xenomorph from the Alien Series, especially the elongated skull. *In Halo: The Fall of Reach, a Sangheili is said to have green blood when it has been purple in all game appearances to date.[34] *They are, fittingly, the very first Covenant species the player encounters in most of the Halo games: when you make your way to the bridge of the Pillar of Autumn in Halo: Combat Evolved, at the trial of the Thel 'Vadamee in Halo 2, in the opening cut scene of Halo 3, and the first Covenant "seen" in Halo: Reach at the beginning of Winter Contingency is an invisible elite. In Halo Wars, they are seen in the first cutscene during a battle on Harvest fighting against UNSC Marines, but are not first seen in Halo 3: ODST. *There has been a running inconsistency in the franchise regarding when humans first encountered the Sangheili. According to Halo: The Fall of Reach, Elites had not been deployed to combat against the UNSC prior to the Fall of Reach when John-117 encountered one above Reach.[citation needed] However, this has been abandoned in newer sources, most of which depict Sangheili being active in the field for most of the Human-Covenant War. Finally, the project page for Halo: Reach confirms that Elites have been observed in the field since the First Battle of Harvest in 2525.[5] *In Halo: Combat Evolved, the Sangheili have three different types of helmet appearances. One is the classical shark-like helmet with the pointed cone at the peak of the helmet. The second is slightly different with a wide, crest-like and curved upper piece on the helmet instead of the classical conical helmet. The third is known as in the game code as "Elite special", stealth elites, the gold zealots and the special operations officers all have a helmet very, very similar in shape to the "shark-like" helmet. And with close inspection can it be noticed that it is slightly different in shape to the "shark" helmet. *An exclusive set of Sangheili Officer armor is included with the Limited and Legendary editions of Halo: Reach. *In Halo 3, Sangheili pupils turn to vertical slits upon death, whereas they are circular and centered when they are alive. This is because they have horizontal eye-lids, which can be seen when they blink, and this is simply their eyes closed while dead. *In Halo: Reach, the Sangheili HUD compass has Covenant markings instead of cardinal directions. *In Halo: Reach, If you activate night vision while aiming at an dead elite's eyes, the eyes will glow. *In Halo: Reach, many Sangheili ranks have more ornate and different armor than their Halo Trilogy counterparts. Perhaps after the Fall of Reach, the Covenant gave Elites less ornate armor because it was easy to spot high-ranking officers, due to their special armor. *In Halo: Reach, When a Sangheili wields an Energy Sword, it slouches. *In Halo: Reach Firefight, the Sangheili night vision is blue. *In Halo 3, although the Sangheili and Humans are united towards the end of the Human-Covenant war, they still refer to John-117 as "demon". It is unknown if that the Sangheili don't know exactly what to call him, or they are trying to show a sign of respect. *In Halo: Reach, Sangheili player models feature an aim-assist system for the Plasma Pistol, Needler, Plasma Rifle and Plasma Repeater. The aim-assist projects a second reticule which leads a target, much like that of the Sabre. The second reticule is nearly identical to that of the Focus Rifle. *Elites are sometimes referred to as Echo Tangos, which would be the military form of ET, another name for them (much like Bravo Kilos (Baby Kongs) for Brutes). *When playing in Firefight as an Elite, AI controlled Elites will speak to the player in their own language, the player still cannot understand them as there is no known translation. *Only higher ranked Sangheili are allowed to wield and use Energy Swords. *In Halo: Reach, the eyes of a Sangheili no longer glow during gameplay. *In Halo: Reach, a Sangheili will throw an Energy Sword in the air when it picks one up, unlike the Sangheili in Halo 2 and 3 who simply pick it up and turn it on. *If one were to examine the model of any Sangheili that has its face showing in Halo: Reach, with two or more players signed in on the same console, the teeth and eyes of the Sangheili will have mysteriously disappeared. The cavities where the teeth once resided in are still visible, however. *In Halo: Combat Evolved, mysterious (silver-blue shine with black secondary armor color, with standard minor armor) elite corpses can been seen in various levels, but are never seen alive and in combat, or anywhere else for that matter. *Several previews of Halo: CEA game-play have shown that elites will receive a strong graphical overhaul, giving them a much more predatory and intimidating appearance than previous games. *After The Great Schism the Sangheili employed Unggoy and, ironically, some Jiralhanae. *On Legendary difficulty, it takes 7 melee hits to completely kill an Elite, which could be a possible 7reference.